LA Angels star Shohei Ohtani attributes his versatility on the field to his former Nippon-Ham Fighters manager

In a recent interview special, Shohei Ohtani opened up about how his former Nippon-Ham Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama gave him the freedom to develop his game as a two-way player.

Shohei Ohtani made the move from Japan to the Los Angeles Angels back in 2017 and since his debut, he has taken the MLB by storm, living up to the massive expectations that were placed on him.

After initial hiccups due to injuries, he roared to a 2021 American League MVP. Such was his prowess that he was represented twice in the MLB All-Star team, once as a starting pitcher and once as a designated hitter.

In 'Searching for Shohei: An Interview Special' that premiered on Fox Sports, Ohtani was asked how much hearing Mr. Kuriyama's name meant to him. He went on to say that he was thankful for the mentoring that Kuriyama had done for him and was immensely grateful to him.

"He's certainly one of my mentors. If it wasn't for Mr. Kuriyama, I probably wouldn't have become a two-way player. And as a professional it would have been even more difficult to steadily improve myself, so I'm grateful to him." Ohtani said.

Ohtani was highly influential for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters right from his debut. He had won the 2013 Rookie of the Year award and would make it to the All-Star team in all five of his seasons. He also won the 2016 Pacific League MVP and secured the Nippon-Ham Fighters' third Japan Series.

Former Manager Hideki Kuriyama says he was surprised to see how good Shohei Ohtani was in high school

Also on 'Searching for Ohtani', Hideki Kuriyama was asked how he felt about his former team's young scout who took the baseball world ball by storm.

The current Japanese national baseball team coach spoke highly of Shohei Ohtani. He remembered the first time he saw the sensation in high school, where he was already pitching balls as well as Japan's best pitcher at the time, Yu Darvish.

Hideki Kuriyama said:

"The first time I saw Shohei pitch was when he was in sophomore in senior high, just before the summer, and by chance I was at game, and Shohei Ohtani happened to be the opposing pitcher."

He added:

"When I first saw him pitch from behind the home plate, well, Yu Darvish was the best pitcher in Japan at the time, I could already see Ohtani's pitches with the arc and the speed of Darvish's pitches. I was surprised."

Ohtani has without a doubt been a huge sensation throughout his school life up to his MLB career. Even with immense media scrutiny, he has always decided to keep a low profile and earnest humility. That is his Ohtani's legacy.